Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance

Name

Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance

Legal name

Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance

Website

https://rbia.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Economic Development

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Startup accelerator
• Angel investment network
• Innovation ecosystem
• Technology council

Headquarters

HQ city

Blacksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and charitable contributions: RBIA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Tax ID 46-2975294) that relies on individual and corporate donations to fund ecosystem building, startup acceleration, and regional innovation programs. The capital campaign Ignite 2028 seeks charitable pledges and gifts from donors.
2. Grant funding: RBIA proactively secures state and federal grant funding to support regional innovators, entrepreneurs, and infrastructure investment. $54.9M in state, federal grants and appropriations have been secured, including $4.9M through GO Virginia's Project VITAL and $30M in Federal Grants to Regional Companies (SBIR/STTR).
3. Membership dues: RBTC (Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council), one of RBIA's portfolio organizations, operates a membership program providing professional development, networking, and growth opportunities for regional tech companies and professionals. RBTC has 225 member companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance (RBIA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ecosystem builder for the Roanoke Blacksburg region of Virginia. It operates a portfolio of programs including RAMP (startup accelerator), RBTC (technology council and membership organization), and Common Wealth Angels (angel investment group). The organization delivers mentorship, training, facilities, networking, grant funding, and regional innovation data tracking to advance tech-based economic development.

Product overview

RBIA operates as a portfolio organization offering a suite of interconnected programs and services for regional tech-based economic development. The core RBIA organization provides strategic vision and resources, supported by three main programmatic arms: RAMP (accelerator), RBTC (technology council), and Common Wealth Angels (investment). Additional offerings include Innovation Dashboards for data tracking, a Job Board for regional tech talent, Events programming, and the Ignite 2028 Capital Campaign for infrastructure investment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAMP (Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program): Program that grows local tech startups by helping tech and biotech startups access and leverage critical resources to grow their companies.
• RBTC (Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council)
• Common Wealth Angels

Products and services

• RAMP (Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program) A regional startup accelerator helping tech and biotech startups access facilities, mentorship, training, connections, and ancillary business expansion support across all stages of the startup pipeline. Has accelerated 55+ tech companies since 2017. Targeted at early-stage technology and life science companies in the Roanoke Blacksburg region.
• RBTC (Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council) A member-driven technology council connecting the Roanoke Blacksburg technology community through high-quality programming, professional development, networking, and membership benefits. Has 225 member companies. Targeted at established and growing regional technology companies and professionals.
• Common Wealth Angels The only angel investment organization in the Roanoke Blacksburg region, funding innovation through early-stage investment in well-vetted pre-seed startups, primarily with ties to the Roanoke and New River valleys. Average investment of $200,000 per deal. Targets accredited angel investors and early-stage startups seeking pre-seed capital.
• Innovation Dashboards Dynamic, continually-updated interactive data dashboards tracking key metrics of the Roanoke Blacksburg innovation ecosystem, including Research and Development Funding, STEM-H Talent, Capital Ecosystem Data, and Region 2 Capital Landscape. Available publicly on the RBIA website.
• RBIA Events Program A recurring events program including Ecosystem Navigator Office Hours for tech and life sciences innovators, Morning Jolt with WoTech (women-in-tech networking), and RBTC's AI Decoded educational events. Held both online and in-person; serves as the primary touchpoint for community engagement and program enrollment.
• Regional Tech Job Board A regional technology job board hosted through RBTC (jobs.rbtc.tech) publishing local technology job opportunities. Serves both regional tech employers and job seekers in the Roanoke Blacksburg area.

Quantifiable outcome

• 850+ high-paying jobs created by RAMP companies since 2017
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Virginia Tech / VT Corporate Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Virginia Tech is a foundational anchor of the Roanoke Blacksburg innovation ecosystem. RBIA operates from the VT Corporate Research Center in Blacksburg and collaborates with Virginia Tech on research commercialization (LAUNCH Center for New Ventures), talent pipeline development, and biotech/life science innovation. Brandy Salmon serves as associate vice president for innovation and partnerships at Virginia Tech and sits on the RBIA board.
• Carilion CliniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarilion Clinic is a key healthcare innovation partner, working with RBIA on medical device commercialization and health/life science sector growth. Through Project VITAL, Carilion Clinic Innovation will establish a compliance resource for industry partners and startups. Aileen Helsel, Carilion Clinic Innovation Director, sits on the RBIA board and is quoted on the initiative's impact.
• GO Virginia / Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGO Virginia is a statewide initiative driving high-wage job creation through tech-based economic growth. RBIA led a coalition of 38 regional organizations to secure $4.9M through GO Virginia's Project VITAL. Joseph Benevento/Conaway Haskins from VIPC sits on the RBIA board. The initiative aims to create 1,100+ jobs with $40M+ economic impact.
• Virginia Western Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirginia Western Community College collaborates with RBIA on biotechnology talent pipeline development as part of Project VITAL. Laura Treanor from Virginia Western sits on the RBIA board.
• Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech-CarilioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBRI is a key research and commercialization partner, focusing on biomedical innovation. The initiative expands the Fralin Commercialization Fellows Program to encourage entrepreneurship. Michael Friedlander, FBRI executive director and Virginia Tech VP for health sciences and technology, sits on the RBIA board.
• Radford UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRadford University participates in the regional innovation ecosystem. Angela Joyner from Radford University sits on the RBIA board of directors.
• New River Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew River Community College supports the regional talent pipeline for the tech-based economy. Robert Brandon from New River Community College sits on the RBIA board.
• Central Virginia Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral Virginia Community College participates in regional economic development and talent pipeline efforts. John Capps from Central Virginia Community College sits on the RBIA board.
• Mountain Gateway Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMountain Gateway Community College is part of the regional education ecosystem supporting tech talent development. John Rainone from Mountain Gateway Community College sits on the RBIA board.
• Roanoke CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoanoke College supports the regional innovation ecosystem. Frank Shushok from Roanoke College sits on the RBIA board.
• Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCU leads a parallel GO Virginia Region 4 initiative alongside Activation Capital. RBIA collaborates with VCU and other regional coalitions as part of the multi-regional Project VITAL to establish Virginia as a biotechnology hub.
• University of Virginia (UVA)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerUVA and CvilleBioHub lead GO Virginia Region 9 efforts. RBIA collaborates with UVA as part of the multi-regional Project VITAL initiative to build Virginia's biotechnology corridor across regions.
• Activation CapitalsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerActivation Capital leads GO Virginia Region 4 biotech/life sciences initiatives alongside VCU. RBIA collaborates across regions as part of Project VITAL to create a statewide biotechnology corridor.
• CvilleBioHubsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCvilleBioHub leads biotechnology ecosystem efforts in GO Virginia Region 9 alongside UVA. RBIA collaborates with CvilleBioHub across the multi-regional Project VITAL initiative.
• LAUNCH Center for New Ventures at Virginia TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAUNCH serves as Virginia Tech's proof-of-concept program and innovation fellowship facilitator, specifically designed to encourage biomedical startups out of the university. It is a key pathway for research-to-market acceleration in the region.
• Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science CareerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the 38-organization coalition that secured GO Virginia Project VITAL funding. Works on biotechnology talent pipeline development in the Roanoke Blacksburg region alongside RBIA and others.
• RAMP (Regional Accelerator and Mentoring Program)coreOthersRAMP is RBIA's flagship accelerator program, part of the RBIA portfolio of organizations. It provides facilities, connections, training, and business expansion support to tech and biotech startups at all stages. Founded 2017.
• RBTC (Roanoke Blacksburg Technology Council)coreOthersRBTC is RBIA's member-driven tech council that connects the Roanoke Blacksburg technology community through professional development, networking, and membership programs. Has 225 member companies.
• Common Wealth AngelscoreOthersCommon Wealth Angels is the only angel investment organization in the Roanoke Blacksburg region. It funds innovation in the valleys through early-stage investment ($200K average per deal) and mentorship. Founded by Kevin Bloomfield and Russ Ellis. Now part of the RBIA portfolio.
• 38-Organization Regional Coalition (led by RBIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition of 38 regional organizations led by RBIA, including Virginia Tech, Carilion, Virginia Western Community College, Blue Ridge Partnership for Health Science Careers, and many others, secured $4.9M through GO Virginia's Project VITAL to advance biotech and life science commercialization.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CvilleBioHub: Charlottesville-area biotech innovation hub serving GO Virginia Region 9 alongside UVA. Direct peer in the Virginia regional biotech alliance network, collaborating with RBIA under the multi-regional Project VITAL initiative.
• BioEnterprise (now JumpStart Health): Northeast Ohio-based regional biotech and healthcare accelerator and economic development organization. Direct peer in biotech-focused regional innovation alliance mission.
• Cintrifuse: Cincinnati-based regional innovation alliance that operates an accelerator, corporate partner network, and ecosystem programs. Closely comparable structure to RBIA's RAMP + RBTC + Common Wealth Angels model.
• MassTLC (Mass Technology Leadership Council): Membership-based regional technology council providing networking, advocacy, and professional development. Directly comparable to RBTC's member-driven tech council model.
• Activation Capital: GO Virginia Region 4's innovation and commercialization catalyst based in Richmond, leading the region's biotech/life sciences efforts alongside VCU. Direct peer in mission, structure, and GO Virginia funding model.

Broad incumbents

• Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC): Statewide Virginia innovation authority that operates GO Virginia and partners with RBIA as a regional driver. Operates at a broader geographic and policy scale than RBIA.
• North Carolina Biotechnology Center: Statewide nonprofit focused on life sciences economic development in North Carolina. Closely comparable mission to RBIA's biotech focus but operates at a larger state-level scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roanoke Blacksburg Innovation Alliance